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Encyclicals & Exhortations of Benedict XVI
Caritas in veritate : la caridad en la verdad
« Le développement [de tout l’homme et de tous les hommes] a besoin de chrétiens qui ont les mains tendues vers Dieu dans un geste de prière, conscients du fait que l’amour riche de vérité – caritas in veritate –, d’où procède l’authentique développement, n’est pas produit par nous, mais nous est donné. C’est pourquoi, même dans les moments les plus difficiles et les situations les plus complexes, nous devons non seulement réagir en conscience, mais aussi et surtout nous référer à son amour. Le développement suppose une attention à la vie spirituelle, une sérieuse considération des expériences de confiance en Dieu, de fraternité spirituelle dans le Christ, de remise de soi à la Providence et à la Miséricorde divine, d’amour et de pardon, de renoncement à soi-même, d’accueil du prochain, de justice et de paix. Tout cela est indispensable pour transformer les “cœurs de pierre” en “cœurs de chair”, au point de rendre la vie sur terre “divine” et, par conséquent, plus digne de l’homme. »
Benedictus PP XVI
Unknown Binding
First published June 29, 2009
About the author
Pope Benedict XVI
942 books959 followersOriginally
Joseph Ratzinger
, a noted conservative theologian before his election in 2005, Benedict XVI strove against the influence of secularism during his papacy to defend traditional Catholic teachings but since medieval times first resigned in 2013.
After Joseph Ratzinger served a long career as an academic and a professor at the University of Regensburg, Pope Paul VI appointed him as archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome as prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, one most important office of the Roman curia. He also served as dean of the college of cardinals.
Benedict XVI reigned 265th in virtue of his office of bishop of Rome, the sovereign of the state of Vatican City and the head of the Church. A conclave named him on 19 April 2005; he celebrated his inaugural Mass on 24 April 2005 and took possession of his Lateran cathedral basilica of Saint John on 7 May 2005.
Benedict XVI succeeded Saint John Paul II, predecessor and his prolific writings on doctrine and values. Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increase of many developed countries. Relativism denied objective truth and moral truths in particular; he viewed this central problem of the 21st century. With the importance of the Church, he understood redemptive love of God. He reaffirmed the "importance of prayer in the face of the activism" "of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Benedict also revived a number and elevated the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position.
Benedict founded and patronized of the Ratzinger foundation, a charitable organization, which from the sale of books and essays makes money to fund scholarships and bursaries for students across the world.
Due to advanced age on 11 February 2013, Benedict announced in a speech in Latin and cited a "lack of strength of mind and body" before the cardinals. He effectively left on 28 February 2013.As emeritus, Benedict retained the style of His Holiness, and the title and continued to dress in the color of white. He moved into the newly renovated monastery of Mater Ecclesiae for his retirement. Pope Francis succeeded him on 13 March 2013.
(more info on Ratzinger Foundation: https://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology...)
After Joseph Ratzinger served a long career as an academic and a professor at the University of Regensburg, Pope Paul VI appointed him as archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome as prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, one most important office of the Roman curia. He also served as dean of the college of cardinals.
Benedict XVI reigned 265th in virtue of his office of bishop of Rome, the sovereign of the state of Vatican City and the head of the Church. A conclave named him on 19 April 2005; he celebrated his inaugural Mass on 24 April 2005 and took possession of his Lateran cathedral basilica of Saint John on 7 May 2005.
Benedict XVI succeeded Saint John Paul II, predecessor and his prolific writings on doctrine and values. Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increase of many developed countries. Relativism denied objective truth and moral truths in particular; he viewed this central problem of the 21st century. With the importance of the Church, he understood redemptive love of God. He reaffirmed the "importance of prayer in the face of the activism" "of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Benedict also revived a number and elevated the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position.
Benedict founded and patronized of the Ratzinger foundation, a charitable organization, which from the sale of books and essays makes money to fund scholarships and bursaries for students across the world.
Due to advanced age on 11 February 2013, Benedict announced in a speech in Latin and cited a "lack of strength of mind and body" before the cardinals. He effectively left on 28 February 2013.As emeritus, Benedict retained the style of His Holiness, and the title and continued to dress in the color of white. He moved into the newly renovated monastery of Mater Ecclesiae for his retirement. Pope Francis succeeded him on 13 March 2013.
(more info on Ratzinger Foundation: https://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
February 23, 2021
A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.2021 Lenten reading. As such it didn't really inspire me since it is Pope Benedict's thoughts and updated commentary about previous papal encyclicals about social justice — not a topic which tends to be very inspirational as a rule. However, even in this topic there is something to grab one's heart and that applies to both current events and to our own lives.
Development needs Christians with their arms raised towards God in prayer, Christians moved by the knowledge that truth-filled love, caritas in veritate, from which authentic development proceeds, is not produced by us, but given to us. For this reason, even in the most difficult and complex times, besides recognizing what is happening, we must above all else turn to God's love. Development requires attention to the spiritual life, a serious consideration of the experiences of trust in God, spiritual fellowship in Christ, reliance upon God's providence and mercy, love and forgiveness, self-denial, acceptance of others, justice and peace. All this is essential if “hearts of stone” are to be transformed into “hearts of flesh” (Ezek 36:26), rendering life on earth “divine” and thus more worthy of humanity. All this is of man, because man is the subject of his own existence; and at the same time it is of God, because God is at the beginning and end of all that is good, all that leads to salvation: “the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's” (1 Cor 3:22-23).Definitely worth reading and reflecting upon.
May 4, 2011
This is the first papal encyclical eighteen years that addresses social teaching of the Catholic Church, and the first such encyclical by the Pope Benedict XVI. The title is modeled on Ephesians 4:15, and in some way implies a continuation with the previous encyclical "God is Love" ("Deus caritas est"). The basic thesis of this encyclical is that love is not just an individual and personal attitude limited to one's circle of friends and relatives, but a universal guiding principle that ought to order the society at large. This is particularly evident when the synonym for love - charity - is used in the English translation. All the connotations of that word then become manifestly obvious. And yet, charity by itself, unless it is based and fortified by truth, can be little distinguished from emotionalism that is useless in promoting greater social and cultural development. It is precisely this truth that enables charity to have an impact and effect in social context.
This encyclical draws on earlier encyclicals that deal with social teaching of the Catholic Church, but in particular it views itself as a continuation and building upon of ideas presented in Pope Paul VI's "Populorum Progressio." It is a response to an increasingly globalized world in general and to the current economic crisis in particular. It addresses two dangerous extremes of the current debates on progress of society: the overreliance on technology on one hand, and the denial and rejection of any progress on another. It reemphasis one of the cornerstones of Catholic social teaching: the fact that life ethics and social ethics are inexorably connected. Authentic development requires adherence to truth and charity. Devaluing human life is contrary to it on both accounts.
Putting human life and human dignity at the very center of all economic and social development is seen as crucial for all development and social justice. The development and right ordering of all other human institutions is considered under the principle of subsidiarity: the appropriate level at which issues need to be addressed is the lowest lever at which they can be addressed effectively. This becomes especially relevant and urgent in the modern, increasingly interconnected, world.
In this encyclical Pope Benedict has given us another clear expression of Catholic social teaching, appropriated and updated to address the most pertinent social issues of today. It is a valuable resource and a source of teaching and guidance on matters that affect us all.
This encyclical draws on earlier encyclicals that deal with social teaching of the Catholic Church, but in particular it views itself as a continuation and building upon of ideas presented in Pope Paul VI's "Populorum Progressio." It is a response to an increasingly globalized world in general and to the current economic crisis in particular. It addresses two dangerous extremes of the current debates on progress of society: the overreliance on technology on one hand, and the denial and rejection of any progress on another. It reemphasis one of the cornerstones of Catholic social teaching: the fact that life ethics and social ethics are inexorably connected. Authentic development requires adherence to truth and charity. Devaluing human life is contrary to it on both accounts.
Putting human life and human dignity at the very center of all economic and social development is seen as crucial for all development and social justice. The development and right ordering of all other human institutions is considered under the principle of subsidiarity: the appropriate level at which issues need to be addressed is the lowest lever at which they can be addressed effectively. This becomes especially relevant and urgent in the modern, increasingly interconnected, world.
In this encyclical Pope Benedict has given us another clear expression of Catholic social teaching, appropriated and updated to address the most pertinent social issues of today. It is a valuable resource and a source of teaching and guidance on matters that affect us all.
Read
January 17, 2026“The human being is made for gift”
June 21, 2017
El papa Benedicto expone en esta carta encíclica, con lucidez y claridad, la doctrina de la Iglesia Católica sobre Economía. Propone el cooperativismo como alternativa tanto a sistemas liberales donde el dinero está por encima de las personas, como a un socialismo centralizado, en el cual no hay libertad individual. El lema de este libro, en mi opinión, es "la economía debe estar al servicio de las personas y no al revés".
February 23, 2024
Over the last few years, I have read a number of books by and about Pope Benedict XVI. Of the popes in my lifetime, I find his writings of immense spiritual benefit. I would state that I underappreciated him until his resignation. And since then, I have read much. And with each piece I read I appreciate his wisdom, faith, and stand against modernism. This was an excellent read. There are two editions of this work, and they are nearly identical. In Europe this volume was published by the Catholic Truth Society called Caritas in Veritate: Encyclical Letter on Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth. In North America Ignatius Press published this version. I had tracked down the CTS version and was reading it when I picked up this eBook from Ignatius. Thus, I read about half the book in each edition.
The descriptions on the back of the two volumes are very different. The description of the edition of the book is:
“Pope Benedict's third encyclical, Charity in Truth (Caritas in Veritate), applies the themes of his first two encyclicals —love and hope (God Is Love, Saved in Hope) — to the world's major social issues. Drawing on moral truths open, in principle, to everyone (the natural law) as well as on the teachings of the gospel (revelation), Pope Benedict addresses Catholics and non-Catholics alike, challenging us all to recognize and then to confront the social evils of our day.
The first part of the encyclical examines the dynamic teaching of Benedict's predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Both men contributed greatly to the body of doctrine known as "Catholic social teaching". Both men challenged the simplistic division of political perspectives into conservative and "liberal", and "right" and "left". Both men were convinced that the natural moral law and the teaching of the Gospel were indispensable for a world in desperate search of hope and meaning.
In the second part Benedict surveys the social issues that confront the human race today—assaults on the dignity of the human person such as the attack on human life, poverty, issues of war and peace, terrorism, globalization, and environmental concerns. Benedict provides sound moral principles to address these social and economic problems, and to promote a culture of life and genuine peace.
In this outstanding work, Pope Benedict shows us why so many observers regard him as the world's leading moral voice, as well as one of the most insightful and profound social/political thinkers of our day.”
This volume was published at the end of the Pauline year and is one of a few volumes on Paul penned by Pope Benedict XVI. The chapters in this edition are:
Introduction [1]
1 The Message of Populorum Progessio [10-20]
2 Human Development in Our Time [21-33]
3 Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society [34-42]
4 The Development of People, Rights and Duties, the Environment [43-52]
5 The Cooperation of the Human Family [53-67]
6 The Development of Peoples and Technology [68-77]
Conclusion [78-79]
It should be noted that the CTS edition does not include the paragraph numbering. I highlighted a number of passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity. Charity, in fact, “rejoices in the truth”.”
“Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law.”
“Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality.”
“Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.”
“Another important consideration is the common good. To love someone is to desire that person’s good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society.”
“In 1967, when he issued the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, my venerable predecessor Pope Paul VI illuminated the great theme of the development of peoples with the splendor of truth and the gentle light of Christ’s charity. He taught that life in Christ is the first and principal factor of development6 and he entrusted us with the task of travelling the path of development with all our heart and all our intelligence, 7 that is to say with the ardor of charity and the wisdom of truth.”
“The correct viewpoint, then, is that of the Tradition of the apostolic faith, 13 a patrimony both ancient and new, outside of which Populorum Progressio would be a document without roots—and issues concerning development would be reduced to merely sociological data.”
“In addition to its important link with the entirety of the Church’s social doctrine, Populorum Progressio is closely connected to the overall magisterium of Paul VI, especially his social magisterium. His was certainly a social teaching of great importance: he underlined the indispensable importance of the Gospel for building a society according to freedom and justice, in the ideal and historical perspective of a civilization animated by love.”
“This is not a question of purely individual morality: Humanae Vitae indicates the strong links between life ethics and social ethics, ushering in a new area of magisterial teaching that has gradually been articulated in a series of documents, most recently John Paul II’s Encyclical Evangelium Vitae.”
“As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbors but does not make us brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first, teaching us through the Son what fraternal charity is. Paul VI, presenting the various levels in the process of human development, placed at the summit, after mentioning faith, “unity in the charity of Christ who calls us all to share as sons in the life of the living God, the Father of all”.”
“The economic development that Paul VI hoped to see was meant to produce real growth, of benefit to everyone and genuinely sustainable. It is true that growth has taken place, and it continues to be a positive factor that has lifted billions of people out of misery—recently it has given many countries the possibility of becoming effective players in international politics. Yet it must be acknowledged that this same economic growth has been and continues to be weighed down by malfunctions and dramatic problems, highlighted even further by the current crisis.”
“Many areas of the globe today have evolved considerably, albeit in problematical and disparate ways, thereby taking their place among the great powers destined to play important roles in the future. Yet it should be stressed that progress of a merely economic and technological kind is insufficient.”
“Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.”
“One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation. If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation, from not being loved or from difficulties in being able to love. Poverty is often produced by a rejection of God’s love, by man’s basic and tragic tendency to close in on himself, thinking himself to be self-sufficient or merely an insignificant and ephemeral fact, a “stranger” in a random universe.”
“When technology is allowed to take over, the result is confusion between ends and means, such that the sole criterion for action in business is thought to be the maximization of profit, in politics the consolidation of power, and in science the findings of research. Often, underneath the intricacies of economic, financial and political interconnections, there remain misunderstandings, hardships and injustice. The flow of technological know-how increases, but it is those in possession of it who benefit, while the situation on the ground for the peoples who live in its shadow remains unchanged: for them there is little chance of emancipation.”
“Linked to technological development is the increasingly pervasive presence of the means of social communications. It is almost impossible today to imagine the life of the human family without them. For better or for worse, they are so integral a part of life today that it seems quite absurd to maintain that they are neutral—and hence unaffected by any moral considerations concerning people.”
“Paul VI had already recognized and drawn attention to the global dimension of the social question. 155 Following his lead, we need to affirm today that the social question has become a radically anthropological question, in the sense that it concerns not just how life is conceived but also how it is manipulated, as bio-technology places it increasingly under man’s control.”
“The question of development is closely bound up with our understanding of the human soul, insofar as we often reduce the self to the psyche and confuse the soul’s health with emotional well-being. These over-simplifications stem from a profound failure to understand the spiritual life, and they obscure the fact that the development of individuals and peoples depends partly on the resolution of problems of a spiritual nature. Development must include not just material growth but also spiritual growth, since the human person is a “unity of body and soul”, 156 born of God’s creative love and destined for eternal life.”
“It requires new eyes and a new heart, capable of rising above a materialistic vision of human events, capable of glimpsing in development the “beyond” that technology cannot give. By following this path, it is possible to pursue the integral human development that takes its direction from the driving force of charity in truth.”
“At the conclusion of the Pauline Year, I gladly express this hope in the Apostle’s own words, taken from the Letter to the Romans: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12: 9-10).”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this excellent volume. This was the third and final encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI. It is understood he was working on a fourth when he made the decision to step down as pope in 2013. It is nearly twice the length of the previous two, but part of that is the analysis of the progression from Pupulorum Progressio by Pope Paul VI to 20 years later Sollicitudo Rei Socialis by Saint Pope John Paul II to this volume 20 years after that.
This work was more academic than some of the others by Pope Benedict XVI that I have read. But by fat not the most academic. There was a lot to think about, reflect on and ingest in this work. It is a volume that really has made me think and reflect. Which is good since I choose in 2024 to focus some of my Lenten readings on the works of Benedict XVI. What I love most about this encyclical is that Benedict XVI shows us the progression. He leads us through the previous church documents that are the foundation for this work. There is extensive research evident in the volume, and it shows the continuity of the faith.
This is an excellent volume. I randomly pick from the three Encyclicals of Benedict XVI for which to read first. This was a great place to start. I appreciated both editions of this book that I have read. And I can easily recommend it to any Catholic. A great resource.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
The descriptions on the back of the two volumes are very different. The description of the edition of the book is:
“Pope Benedict's third encyclical, Charity in Truth (Caritas in Veritate), applies the themes of his first two encyclicals —love and hope (God Is Love, Saved in Hope) — to the world's major social issues. Drawing on moral truths open, in principle, to everyone (the natural law) as well as on the teachings of the gospel (revelation), Pope Benedict addresses Catholics and non-Catholics alike, challenging us all to recognize and then to confront the social evils of our day.
The first part of the encyclical examines the dynamic teaching of Benedict's predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Both men contributed greatly to the body of doctrine known as "Catholic social teaching". Both men challenged the simplistic division of political perspectives into conservative and "liberal", and "right" and "left". Both men were convinced that the natural moral law and the teaching of the Gospel were indispensable for a world in desperate search of hope and meaning.
In the second part Benedict surveys the social issues that confront the human race today—assaults on the dignity of the human person such as the attack on human life, poverty, issues of war and peace, terrorism, globalization, and environmental concerns. Benedict provides sound moral principles to address these social and economic problems, and to promote a culture of life and genuine peace.
In this outstanding work, Pope Benedict shows us why so many observers regard him as the world's leading moral voice, as well as one of the most insightful and profound social/political thinkers of our day.”
This volume was published at the end of the Pauline year and is one of a few volumes on Paul penned by Pope Benedict XVI. The chapters in this edition are:
Introduction [1]
1 The Message of Populorum Progessio [10-20]
2 Human Development in Our Time [21-33]
3 Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society [34-42]
4 The Development of People, Rights and Duties, the Environment [43-52]
5 The Cooperation of the Human Family [53-67]
6 The Development of Peoples and Technology [68-77]
Conclusion [78-79]
It should be noted that the CTS edition does not include the paragraph numbering. I highlighted a number of passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity. Charity, in fact, “rejoices in the truth”.”
“Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law.”
“Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality.”
“Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.”
“Another important consideration is the common good. To love someone is to desire that person’s good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society.”
“In 1967, when he issued the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, my venerable predecessor Pope Paul VI illuminated the great theme of the development of peoples with the splendor of truth and the gentle light of Christ’s charity. He taught that life in Christ is the first and principal factor of development6 and he entrusted us with the task of travelling the path of development with all our heart and all our intelligence, 7 that is to say with the ardor of charity and the wisdom of truth.”
“The correct viewpoint, then, is that of the Tradition of the apostolic faith, 13 a patrimony both ancient and new, outside of which Populorum Progressio would be a document without roots—and issues concerning development would be reduced to merely sociological data.”
“In addition to its important link with the entirety of the Church’s social doctrine, Populorum Progressio is closely connected to the overall magisterium of Paul VI, especially his social magisterium. His was certainly a social teaching of great importance: he underlined the indispensable importance of the Gospel for building a society according to freedom and justice, in the ideal and historical perspective of a civilization animated by love.”
“This is not a question of purely individual morality: Humanae Vitae indicates the strong links between life ethics and social ethics, ushering in a new area of magisterial teaching that has gradually been articulated in a series of documents, most recently John Paul II’s Encyclical Evangelium Vitae.”
“As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbors but does not make us brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first, teaching us through the Son what fraternal charity is. Paul VI, presenting the various levels in the process of human development, placed at the summit, after mentioning faith, “unity in the charity of Christ who calls us all to share as sons in the life of the living God, the Father of all”.”
“The economic development that Paul VI hoped to see was meant to produce real growth, of benefit to everyone and genuinely sustainable. It is true that growth has taken place, and it continues to be a positive factor that has lifted billions of people out of misery—recently it has given many countries the possibility of becoming effective players in international politics. Yet it must be acknowledged that this same economic growth has been and continues to be weighed down by malfunctions and dramatic problems, highlighted even further by the current crisis.”
“Many areas of the globe today have evolved considerably, albeit in problematical and disparate ways, thereby taking their place among the great powers destined to play important roles in the future. Yet it should be stressed that progress of a merely economic and technological kind is insufficient.”
“Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.”
“One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation. If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation, from not being loved or from difficulties in being able to love. Poverty is often produced by a rejection of God’s love, by man’s basic and tragic tendency to close in on himself, thinking himself to be self-sufficient or merely an insignificant and ephemeral fact, a “stranger” in a random universe.”
“When technology is allowed to take over, the result is confusion between ends and means, such that the sole criterion for action in business is thought to be the maximization of profit, in politics the consolidation of power, and in science the findings of research. Often, underneath the intricacies of economic, financial and political interconnections, there remain misunderstandings, hardships and injustice. The flow of technological know-how increases, but it is those in possession of it who benefit, while the situation on the ground for the peoples who live in its shadow remains unchanged: for them there is little chance of emancipation.”
“Linked to technological development is the increasingly pervasive presence of the means of social communications. It is almost impossible today to imagine the life of the human family without them. For better or for worse, they are so integral a part of life today that it seems quite absurd to maintain that they are neutral—and hence unaffected by any moral considerations concerning people.”
“Paul VI had already recognized and drawn attention to the global dimension of the social question. 155 Following his lead, we need to affirm today that the social question has become a radically anthropological question, in the sense that it concerns not just how life is conceived but also how it is manipulated, as bio-technology places it increasingly under man’s control.”
“The question of development is closely bound up with our understanding of the human soul, insofar as we often reduce the self to the psyche and confuse the soul’s health with emotional well-being. These over-simplifications stem from a profound failure to understand the spiritual life, and they obscure the fact that the development of individuals and peoples depends partly on the resolution of problems of a spiritual nature. Development must include not just material growth but also spiritual growth, since the human person is a “unity of body and soul”, 156 born of God’s creative love and destined for eternal life.”
“It requires new eyes and a new heart, capable of rising above a materialistic vision of human events, capable of glimpsing in development the “beyond” that technology cannot give. By following this path, it is possible to pursue the integral human development that takes its direction from the driving force of charity in truth.”
“At the conclusion of the Pauline Year, I gladly express this hope in the Apostle’s own words, taken from the Letter to the Romans: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12: 9-10).”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this excellent volume. This was the third and final encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI. It is understood he was working on a fourth when he made the decision to step down as pope in 2013. It is nearly twice the length of the previous two, but part of that is the analysis of the progression from Pupulorum Progressio by Pope Paul VI to 20 years later Sollicitudo Rei Socialis by Saint Pope John Paul II to this volume 20 years after that.
This work was more academic than some of the others by Pope Benedict XVI that I have read. But by fat not the most academic. There was a lot to think about, reflect on and ingest in this work. It is a volume that really has made me think and reflect. Which is good since I choose in 2024 to focus some of my Lenten readings on the works of Benedict XVI. What I love most about this encyclical is that Benedict XVI shows us the progression. He leads us through the previous church documents that are the foundation for this work. There is extensive research evident in the volume, and it shows the continuity of the faith.
This is an excellent volume. I randomly pick from the three Encyclicals of Benedict XVI for which to read first. This was a great place to start. I appreciated both editions of this book that I have read. And I can easily recommend it to any Catholic. A great resource.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
December 5, 2023
I had a long thought train a few weeks ago during a drive home about whether it was even possible to build compassion or morality or good into systems. Like whether “compassionate” systems are even possible, or if systems always have to be either neutral or evil. Then that quickly turned into a crisis spiral about what I should do with my life if compassionate systems are impossible. Then I pushed it away because it was all abstract and I thought it was kinda stupid and I wanted to watch happy movies with family and eat happy food and not think about sad and difficult things.
Then this man Pope Benedict XVI comes in and writes a whole TREATISE on building systems grounded in compassion and charity. Knowledge is a miracle and a gift and people-centered systems can and do exist!
Some BOMB lines on in here:
“The more we strive to secure a common good correspond to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them…This is the institutional path of charity, no less excellent and effective than the kind of charity which encounters the neighbor directly.”
“The human being is made for gift, which expresses and makes present his transcendent dimension.”
“Hope encourages reason and gives it the strength to direct the will…As the absolutely gratuitous gift of God, hope bursts into our lives as something not due to us, but something that transcends every law of justice.”
“As a spiritual being, the human creature is defined through interpersonal relations. The more authentically he or she lives these relations, the more his or her own personal identity matures. It is not by isolation that man establishes his worth, but by placing himself in relation with others and with God.”
“Not only are other persons outside our control, but each one of us is outside his or her own control. A person’s development is compromised, if he claims to be solely responsible for producing what he becomes.”
“All our knowledge, even the most simple, is always a minor miracle, since it can never be fully explained by the material instruments we apply to it…In all knowledge and in every act of love the human soul experiences something “over and above,” which seems very much like a gift we receive, or a height to which we are a raised.”
“Openness to God makes us open toward our brothers and sisters and toward an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity…Awareness of God’s undying love sustains us in our laborious and stimulating work for justice and the development of peoples, amid successes and failures, in the ceaseless pursuit of a just ordering of human affairs.”
Then this man Pope Benedict XVI comes in and writes a whole TREATISE on building systems grounded in compassion and charity. Knowledge is a miracle and a gift and people-centered systems can and do exist!
Some BOMB lines on in here:
“The more we strive to secure a common good correspond to the real needs of our neighbors, the more effectively we love them…This is the institutional path of charity, no less excellent and effective than the kind of charity which encounters the neighbor directly.”
“The human being is made for gift, which expresses and makes present his transcendent dimension.”
“Hope encourages reason and gives it the strength to direct the will…As the absolutely gratuitous gift of God, hope bursts into our lives as something not due to us, but something that transcends every law of justice.”
“As a spiritual being, the human creature is defined through interpersonal relations. The more authentically he or she lives these relations, the more his or her own personal identity matures. It is not by isolation that man establishes his worth, but by placing himself in relation with others and with God.”
“Not only are other persons outside our control, but each one of us is outside his or her own control. A person’s development is compromised, if he claims to be solely responsible for producing what he becomes.”
“All our knowledge, even the most simple, is always a minor miracle, since it can never be fully explained by the material instruments we apply to it…In all knowledge and in every act of love the human soul experiences something “over and above,” which seems very much like a gift we receive, or a height to which we are a raised.”
“Openness to God makes us open toward our brothers and sisters and toward an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity…Awareness of God’s undying love sustains us in our laborious and stimulating work for justice and the development of peoples, amid successes and failures, in the ceaseless pursuit of a just ordering of human affairs.”
October 22, 2013
My favorite, hands down, of Benedict’s encyclicals. Brilliantly and forcefully argues for the necessity of Catholic social teaching today.
I am troubled by the fact that it almost escaped my notice; it seems that many faithful Catholics in the USA are so enamored with capitalism as to be put off by any criticisms of it (as are always found in Catholic social teaching). But the Church never condemns the legitimacy of private property. The Church *does* condemn socialism outright. What the Church rejects in modern capitalist thinking is the false notions that greed is good, that the endless accumulation of material goods has no spiritual consequences, that profit is the single most important end of the economic system. Contrary to these errors the Church has always affirmed that the universal destination of *all* material goods is the human person! and that material prosperity must never be pursued at the expense of the common good of humanity.
Thank God for Benedict’s brave declaration that charity in truth must *always* inform and guide human action.
I am troubled by the fact that it almost escaped my notice; it seems that many faithful Catholics in the USA are so enamored with capitalism as to be put off by any criticisms of it (as are always found in Catholic social teaching). But the Church never condemns the legitimacy of private property. The Church *does* condemn socialism outright. What the Church rejects in modern capitalist thinking is the false notions that greed is good, that the endless accumulation of material goods has no spiritual consequences, that profit is the single most important end of the economic system. Contrary to these errors the Church has always affirmed that the universal destination of *all* material goods is the human person! and that material prosperity must never be pursued at the expense of the common good of humanity.
Thank God for Benedict’s brave declaration that charity in truth must *always* inform and guide human action.
Read
March 1, 2013Restarted this in honor of his resignation. It is an updating of Catholic social teaching especially 'Pope Paul VI's 1967 Encyclical on the development of people's Populorum Progressio.
'Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love.
'Intelligence and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in intelligence and intelligence is full of love.
February 23, 2024
Over the last few years, I have read a number of books by and about Pope Benedict XVI. Of the popes in my lifetime, I find his writings of immense spiritual benefit. I would state that I underappreciated him until his resignation. And since then, I have read much. And with each piece I read I appreciate his wisdom, faith, and stand against modernism. This was an excellent read. There are two editions of this work, and they are nearly identical. In Europe this volume was published by the Catholic Truth Society called Caritas in Veritate: Encyclical Letter on Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth. In North America Ignatius Press published once called Charity In Truth with a subtitle of Caritas in Veritate. I had tracked down this volume and was reading it when I picked up the eBook from Ignatius. Thus, I read about half the book in each edition.
The descriptions on the back of the two volumes are very different. The description of the edition of the book is:
“Benedict XVI's first social encyclical responds in full to many pressing concerns of today's world. The social teaching of the Catholic Church and its emphasis on the common good is re-proposed with great clarity and with renewed vigour following the recent financial crisis.
Pope Benedict proposes a framework for human development that does not diminish the dignity of the human being and does not exclude anyone, thus "bringing about the development of the whole man and of all men".
The new problems and opportunities of a globalised world are explored in detail. Pope Benedict encourages us to imbue global trends with a respect for life and a civilization of love. He explores economic development by pointing out that there must exist, beyond 'the state' and 'the market', an area of civil society characterised by fraternal charity - both locally and globally.
Benedict calls for respect for the environment but always within a context that in tum respects the ecology of mankind.
In particular the recognition that humanity is a single family must be based on a care for families, since the greatest poverty for any person is to be isolated from his fellows.
Pope Benedict also assesses technological advances and points to the danger that a self-sufficient technology leads to "too much attention being given the 'how' questions and not enough to the many 'why' questions".”
This volume was published at the end of the Pauline year and is one of a few volumes on Paul penned by Pope Benedict XVI. The chapters in this edition are:
Introduction
The message Pupulorum Progressio
Human Development in Our Time
Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society
The Development of People - Rights and Duties - The Environment
The Cooperation of the Human Family
The Development of Peoples and Technology
Conclusion
It should be noted that the Ignatius edition includes the paragraph numbering range for each section. I highlighted a number of passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity. Charity, in fact, “rejoices in the truth”.”
“Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law.”
“Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality.”
“Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.”
“Another important consideration is the common good. To love someone is to desire that person’s good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society.”
“In 1967, when he issued the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, my venerable predecessor Pope Paul VI illuminated the great theme of the development of peoples with the splendor of truth and the gentle light of Christ’s charity. He taught that life in Christ is the first and principal factor of development6 and he entrusted us with the task of travelling the path of development with all our heart and all our intelligence, 7 that is to say with the ardor of charity and the wisdom of truth.”
“The correct viewpoint, then, is that of the Tradition of the apostolic faith, 13 a patrimony both ancient and new, outside of which Populorum Progressio would be a document without roots—and issues concerning development would be reduced to merely sociological data.”
“In addition to its important link with the entirety of the Church’s social doctrine, Populorum Progressio is closely connected to the overall magisterium of Paul VI, especially his social magisterium. His was certainly a social teaching of great importance: he underlined the indispensable importance of the Gospel for building a society according to freedom and justice, in the ideal and historical perspective of a civilization animated by love.”
“This is not a question of purely individual morality: Humanae Vitae indicates the strong links between life ethics and social ethics, ushering in a new area of magisterial teaching that has gradually been articulated in a series of documents, most recently John Paul II’s Encyclical Evangelium Vitae.”
“As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbors but does not make us brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first, teaching us through the Son what fraternal charity is. Paul VI, presenting the various levels in the process of human development, placed at the summit, after mentioning faith, “unity in the charity of Christ who calls us all to share as sons in the life of the living God, the Father of all”.”
“The economic development that Paul VI hoped to see was meant to produce real growth, of benefit to everyone and genuinely sustainable. It is true that growth has taken place, and it continues to be a positive factor that has lifted billions of people out of misery—recently it has given many countries the possibility of becoming effective players in international politics. Yet it must be acknowledged that this same economic growth has been and continues to be weighed down by malfunctions and dramatic problems, highlighted even further by the current crisis.”
“Many areas of the globe today have evolved considerably, albeit in problematical and disparate ways, thereby taking their place among the great powers destined to play important roles in the future. Yet it should be stressed that progress of a merely economic and technological kind is insufficient.”
“Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.”
“One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation. If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation, from not being loved or from difficulties in being able to love. Poverty is often produced by a rejection of God’s love, by man’s basic and tragic tendency to close in on himself, thinking himself to be self-sufficient or merely an insignificant and ephemeral fact, a “stranger” in a random universe.”
“When technology is allowed to take over, the result is confusion between ends and means, such that the sole criterion for action in business is thought to be the maximization of profit, in politics the consolidation of power, and in science the findings of research. Often, underneath the intricacies of economic, financial and political interconnections, there remain misunderstandings, hardships and injustice. The flow of technological know-how increases, but it is those in possession of it who benefit, while the situation on the ground for the peoples who live in its shadow remains unchanged: for them there is little chance of emancipation.”
“Linked to technological development is the increasingly pervasive presence of the means of social communications. It is almost impossible today to imagine the life of the human family without them. For better or for worse, they are so integral a part of life today that it seems quite absurd to maintain that they are neutral—and hence unaffected by any moral considerations concerning people.”
“Paul VI had already recognized and drawn attention to the global dimension of the social question. 155 Following his lead, we need to affirm today that the social question has become a radically anthropological question, in the sense that it concerns not just how life is conceived but also how it is manipulated, as bio-technology places it increasingly under man’s control.”
“The question of development is closely bound up with our understanding of the human soul, insofar as we often reduce the self to the psyche and confuse the soul’s health with emotional well-being. These over-simplifications stem from a profound failure to understand the spiritual life, and they obscure the fact that the development of individuals and peoples depends partly on the resolution of problems of a spiritual nature. Development must include not just material growth but also spiritual growth, since the human person is a “unity of body and soul”, 156 born of God’s creative love and destined for eternal life.”
“It requires new eyes and a new heart, capable of rising above a materialistic vision of human events, capable of glimpsing in development the “beyond” that technology cannot give. By following this path, it is possible to pursue the integral human development that takes its direction from the driving force of charity in truth.”
“At the conclusion of the Pauline Year, I gladly express this hope in the Apostle’s own words, taken from the Letter to the Romans: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12: 9-10).”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this excellent volume. This was the third and final encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI. It is understood he was working on a fourth when he made the decision to step down as pope in 2013. It is nearly twice the length of the previous two, but part of that is the analysis of the progression from Pupulorum Progressio by Pope Paul VI to 20 years later Sollicitudo Rei Socialis by Saint Pope John Paul II to this volume 20 years after that.
This work was more academic than some of the others by Pope Benedict XVI that I have read. But by fat not the most academic. There was a lot to think about, reflect on and ingest in this work. It is a volume that really has made me think and reflect. Which is good since I choose in 2024 to focus some of my Lenten readings on the works of Benedict XVI. What I love most about this encyclical is that Benedict XVI shows us the progression. He leads us through the previous church documents that are the foundation for this work. There is extensive research evident in the volume, and it shows the continuity of the faith.
This is an excellent volume. I randomly pick from the three Encyclicals of Benedict XVI for which to read first. This was a great place to start. I appreciated both editions of this book that I have read. And I can easily recommend it to any Catholic. A great resource.
Read reviews of other books by from the Catholic Truth Society on my blog Book Reviews and More.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
The descriptions on the back of the two volumes are very different. The description of the edition of the book is:
“Benedict XVI's first social encyclical responds in full to many pressing concerns of today's world. The social teaching of the Catholic Church and its emphasis on the common good is re-proposed with great clarity and with renewed vigour following the recent financial crisis.
Pope Benedict proposes a framework for human development that does not diminish the dignity of the human being and does not exclude anyone, thus "bringing about the development of the whole man and of all men".
The new problems and opportunities of a globalised world are explored in detail. Pope Benedict encourages us to imbue global trends with a respect for life and a civilization of love. He explores economic development by pointing out that there must exist, beyond 'the state' and 'the market', an area of civil society characterised by fraternal charity - both locally and globally.
Benedict calls for respect for the environment but always within a context that in tum respects the ecology of mankind.
In particular the recognition that humanity is a single family must be based on a care for families, since the greatest poverty for any person is to be isolated from his fellows.
Pope Benedict also assesses technological advances and points to the danger that a self-sufficient technology leads to "too much attention being given the 'how' questions and not enough to the many 'why' questions".”
This volume was published at the end of the Pauline year and is one of a few volumes on Paul penned by Pope Benedict XVI. The chapters in this edition are:
Introduction
The message Pupulorum Progressio
Human Development in Our Time
Fraternity, Economic Development and Civil Society
The Development of People - Rights and Duties - The Environment
The Cooperation of the Human Family
The Development of Peoples and Technology
Conclusion
It should be noted that the Ignatius edition includes the paragraph numbering range for each section. I highlighted a number of passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity. Charity, in fact, “rejoices in the truth”.”
“Charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law.”
“Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality.”
“Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.”
“Another important consideration is the common good. To love someone is to desire that person’s good and to take effective steps to secure it. Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of “all of us”, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society.”
“In 1967, when he issued the Encyclical Populorum Progressio, my venerable predecessor Pope Paul VI illuminated the great theme of the development of peoples with the splendor of truth and the gentle light of Christ’s charity. He taught that life in Christ is the first and principal factor of development6 and he entrusted us with the task of travelling the path of development with all our heart and all our intelligence, 7 that is to say with the ardor of charity and the wisdom of truth.”
“The correct viewpoint, then, is that of the Tradition of the apostolic faith, 13 a patrimony both ancient and new, outside of which Populorum Progressio would be a document without roots—and issues concerning development would be reduced to merely sociological data.”
“In addition to its important link with the entirety of the Church’s social doctrine, Populorum Progressio is closely connected to the overall magisterium of Paul VI, especially his social magisterium. His was certainly a social teaching of great importance: he underlined the indispensable importance of the Gospel for building a society according to freedom and justice, in the ideal and historical perspective of a civilization animated by love.”
“This is not a question of purely individual morality: Humanae Vitae indicates the strong links between life ethics and social ethics, ushering in a new area of magisterial teaching that has gradually been articulated in a series of documents, most recently John Paul II’s Encyclical Evangelium Vitae.”
“As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbors but does not make us brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first, teaching us through the Son what fraternal charity is. Paul VI, presenting the various levels in the process of human development, placed at the summit, after mentioning faith, “unity in the charity of Christ who calls us all to share as sons in the life of the living God, the Father of all”.”
“The economic development that Paul VI hoped to see was meant to produce real growth, of benefit to everyone and genuinely sustainable. It is true that growth has taken place, and it continues to be a positive factor that has lifted billions of people out of misery—recently it has given many countries the possibility of becoming effective players in international politics. Yet it must be acknowledged that this same economic growth has been and continues to be weighed down by malfunctions and dramatic problems, highlighted even further by the current crisis.”
“Many areas of the globe today have evolved considerably, albeit in problematical and disparate ways, thereby taking their place among the great powers destined to play important roles in the future. Yet it should be stressed that progress of a merely economic and technological kind is insufficient.”
“Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man’s true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.”
“One of the deepest forms of poverty a person can experience is isolation. If we look closely at other kinds of poverty, including material forms, we see that they are born from isolation, from not being loved or from difficulties in being able to love. Poverty is often produced by a rejection of God’s love, by man’s basic and tragic tendency to close in on himself, thinking himself to be self-sufficient or merely an insignificant and ephemeral fact, a “stranger” in a random universe.”
“When technology is allowed to take over, the result is confusion between ends and means, such that the sole criterion for action in business is thought to be the maximization of profit, in politics the consolidation of power, and in science the findings of research. Often, underneath the intricacies of economic, financial and political interconnections, there remain misunderstandings, hardships and injustice. The flow of technological know-how increases, but it is those in possession of it who benefit, while the situation on the ground for the peoples who live in its shadow remains unchanged: for them there is little chance of emancipation.”
“Linked to technological development is the increasingly pervasive presence of the means of social communications. It is almost impossible today to imagine the life of the human family without them. For better or for worse, they are so integral a part of life today that it seems quite absurd to maintain that they are neutral—and hence unaffected by any moral considerations concerning people.”
“Paul VI had already recognized and drawn attention to the global dimension of the social question. 155 Following his lead, we need to affirm today that the social question has become a radically anthropological question, in the sense that it concerns not just how life is conceived but also how it is manipulated, as bio-technology places it increasingly under man’s control.”
“The question of development is closely bound up with our understanding of the human soul, insofar as we often reduce the self to the psyche and confuse the soul’s health with emotional well-being. These over-simplifications stem from a profound failure to understand the spiritual life, and they obscure the fact that the development of individuals and peoples depends partly on the resolution of problems of a spiritual nature. Development must include not just material growth but also spiritual growth, since the human person is a “unity of body and soul”, 156 born of God’s creative love and destined for eternal life.”
“It requires new eyes and a new heart, capable of rising above a materialistic vision of human events, capable of glimpsing in development the “beyond” that technology cannot give. By following this path, it is possible to pursue the integral human development that takes its direction from the driving force of charity in truth.”
“At the conclusion of the Pauline Year, I gladly express this hope in the Apostle’s own words, taken from the Letter to the Romans: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12: 9-10).”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this excellent volume. This was the third and final encyclical written by Pope Benedict XVI. It is understood he was working on a fourth when he made the decision to step down as pope in 2013. It is nearly twice the length of the previous two, but part of that is the analysis of the progression from Pupulorum Progressio by Pope Paul VI to 20 years later Sollicitudo Rei Socialis by Saint Pope John Paul II to this volume 20 years after that.
This work was more academic than some of the others by Pope Benedict XVI that I have read. But by fat not the most academic. There was a lot to think about, reflect on and ingest in this work. It is a volume that really has made me think and reflect. Which is good since I choose in 2024 to focus some of my Lenten readings on the works of Benedict XVI. What I love most about this encyclical is that Benedict XVI shows us the progression. He leads us through the previous church documents that are the foundation for this work. There is extensive research evident in the volume, and it shows the continuity of the faith.
This is an excellent volume. I randomly pick from the three Encyclicals of Benedict XVI for which to read first. This was a great place to start. I appreciated both editions of this book that I have read. And I can easily recommend it to any Catholic. A great resource.
Read reviews of other books by from the Catholic Truth Society on my blog Book Reviews and More.
This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
Did Not Finish
March 25, 2026Exam is done, don’t need to subject myself to this anymore
June 9, 2015
This book was complimentary in the most theorical reading I've been doing lately. Explaining the basics of Church's social doctrine it acted like a backbone of what I previously knew, learned in classes, and was learning at the moment through other readings. It also proved to be very clear and encompassing, showing how the tradition of the Church is alive and growing.
I've already read all the encyclicals by Benedict. And this is the one I liked the most, along with Deus Caritas Est.
I've already read all the encyclicals by Benedict. And this is the one I liked the most, along with Deus Caritas Est.
April 30, 2025
First Benny xvi encyclical I have read. It is continued teaching on "progress and development" in an evolving world. He adds on to Rerum Nevarum and Populo Progressio from his predecessors Leo xiii and Paul vi, respectively.
It exhorts cultural, social, and economic changes to never forget their dependence on God and the sanctity of human life above that of technological progress.
It sort of took me for a turn because I was expecting more of a philosophical spiritual read. Still a great read from a brilliant mind.
It exhorts cultural, social, and economic changes to never forget their dependence on God and the sanctity of human life above that of technological progress.
It sort of took me for a turn because I was expecting more of a philosophical spiritual read. Still a great read from a brilliant mind.
January 8, 2021
An excellent distillation of Catholic social teaching for the early 21st century. Along with the usual expectation of a strong defense of the natural family and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's constant theme of the unity of faith and reason, there are impassioned pleas for economic justice and reciprocity in a globalized world where the haves often take advantage of the have-nots and a proper care and concern for the environment.
July 20, 2009
It has always seemed to me that the gospel is chiefly concerned with love and justice. Simply read Matthew 5-7, and then Matthew 25 and you learn quite quickly that what the faith is about is treating our fellow human beings with dignity, repect, and - most importanly - justice.
The justice spoken of here is not retributive justice, but distributive justice - giving each their due and treaing no one unfairly. Fair distribution is the heart of the Pope's new encyclical. In essence, Popel Benedict's claim is that the current world econcomy is unjust.
Our current econcomy is built on multi-national corporation. Such coroporations can go anywhere in the world to escape paying taxes, lay off workers in one place in order to higher workers for scraps in another, destroy the environment, and bribe governments to pass legislation that favors their destructive ways. The result of this is a world system that abuses the working classes and the environment.
The Pope's solution is solidarity. We must encourage the values of cooperation, unity, trust, and fairness; over the values of greed, gain, and the craving for profits at all costs.
This is, however, more than just a call to each person to search their hearts and have more compassion for their fellows (though it is that too). Pope Benedict calls for a world authority with the power to regulate the global economy. The reason for this? Governments only have local jurisdiction, but the economy is world wide. A Local authority as no power over a world wide economy, so we must create an entity with global authority to regulate the world econcomy and restore rights to people and the earth.
I am not a Roman Catholic and my own theological beliefs are far removed from the Pope's, but I find his thoughts on globalization and the injustice of our current system well worth reading. His solution is debatable, but there is much insight into what is wrong with our system here.
The Pope's new encyclical is a must read for those of us concerned with social justice and the unchecked power and danger of mutlinational corporations.
The justice spoken of here is not retributive justice, but distributive justice - giving each their due and treaing no one unfairly. Fair distribution is the heart of the Pope's new encyclical. In essence, Popel Benedict's claim is that the current world econcomy is unjust.
Our current econcomy is built on multi-national corporation. Such coroporations can go anywhere in the world to escape paying taxes, lay off workers in one place in order to higher workers for scraps in another, destroy the environment, and bribe governments to pass legislation that favors their destructive ways. The result of this is a world system that abuses the working classes and the environment.
The Pope's solution is solidarity. We must encourage the values of cooperation, unity, trust, and fairness; over the values of greed, gain, and the craving for profits at all costs.
This is, however, more than just a call to each person to search their hearts and have more compassion for their fellows (though it is that too). Pope Benedict calls for a world authority with the power to regulate the global economy. The reason for this? Governments only have local jurisdiction, but the economy is world wide. A Local authority as no power over a world wide economy, so we must create an entity with global authority to regulate the world econcomy and restore rights to people and the earth.
I am not a Roman Catholic and my own theological beliefs are far removed from the Pope's, but I find his thoughts on globalization and the injustice of our current system well worth reading. His solution is debatable, but there is much insight into what is wrong with our system here.
The Pope's new encyclical is a must read for those of us concerned with social justice and the unchecked power and danger of mutlinational corporations.
February 20, 2013
First off: This was so much longer than I had expected it to be! I also had not anticipated that it would be about economics and social development. That was a surprise.
Now, for the good stuff: This papal encyclical contained some very valuable and insightful truths into the development of global economy in our time and the role of religion, truth, and charity amidst it all.
-----
Some gems:
"investment always has moral, as well as economic significance."
"While the poor of the world continue knocking on the doors of the rich,t he world of affluence runs the risk of no longer hearing those knocks, on account of a conscience that can no longer distinguish what is human."
"reason without faith is doomed to flounder in an illusion of its own omnipotence. Faith without reason risks being cut off from everyday life."
"practising charity in truth helps people to understand that adhering to the values of Christianity is not merely useful but essential for building a good society and for true integral human development. A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance."
"It is contradictory to insist that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves."
"The truth of development consists in its completeness: if it does not involve the whole man and every man, it is not true development."
"Will it ever be possible to obtain this brotherhood by human effort alone? As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbours but does not make us brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first, teaching us through the Son what fraternal charity is."
Now, for the good stuff: This papal encyclical contained some very valuable and insightful truths into the development of global economy in our time and the role of religion, truth, and charity amidst it all.
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Some gems:
"investment always has moral, as well as economic significance."
"While the poor of the world continue knocking on the doors of the rich,t he world of affluence runs the risk of no longer hearing those knocks, on account of a conscience that can no longer distinguish what is human."
"reason without faith is doomed to flounder in an illusion of its own omnipotence. Faith without reason risks being cut off from everyday life."
"practising charity in truth helps people to understand that adhering to the values of Christianity is not merely useful but essential for building a good society and for true integral human development. A Christianity of charity without truth would be more or less interchangeable with a pool of good sentiments, helpful for social cohesion, but of little relevance."
"It is contradictory to insist that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves."
"The truth of development consists in its completeness: if it does not involve the whole man and every man, it is not true development."
"Will it ever be possible to obtain this brotherhood by human effort alone? As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbours but does not make us brothers. Reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity. This originates in a transcendent vocation from God the Father, who loved us first, teaching us through the Son what fraternal charity is."
August 6, 2009
"The greatest service to development, then, is a Christian humanism that enkindles charity and takes its lead from truth, accepting both as a lasting gift from God. Openness to God makes us open towards our brothers and sisters and towards an understanding of life as a joyful task to be accomplished in a spirit of solidarity. On the other hand, ideological rejection of God and an atheism of indifference, oblivious to the Creator and at risk of becoming equally oblivious to human values, constitute some of the chief obstacles to development today. A humanism which excludes God is an inhuman humanism. ”
In this masterful work, Pope Benedict XVI presents a holistic case for the role of love and truth in resolving the challenges facing the world today. After demonstrating the close connection between love and truth (for neither can be fully realized without the other), he addresses such subjects as human nature, religious freedom, poverty, hunger, international politics, business ethics, environmental concerns, technological advancement, and more, all the while emphasizing the importance of individual and corporate responsibility.
As one might expect, Christianity and the Church feature prominently. Benedict stresses not only how important it is for Christians to be involved in broader society, but also the superiority of Christianity as a foundation for society and social development.
The book is replete with both intellectual rigor and pragmatic considerations, and the connection between them is clearly outlined. Though relatively short, the book is dense: There are so many things to think about that a single reading is unlikely to catch them all.
Definitely worth reading, and probably more than once.
(Note that this book is available for free online at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/ben...)
In this masterful work, Pope Benedict XVI presents a holistic case for the role of love and truth in resolving the challenges facing the world today. After demonstrating the close connection between love and truth (for neither can be fully realized without the other), he addresses such subjects as human nature, religious freedom, poverty, hunger, international politics, business ethics, environmental concerns, technological advancement, and more, all the while emphasizing the importance of individual and corporate responsibility.
As one might expect, Christianity and the Church feature prominently. Benedict stresses not only how important it is for Christians to be involved in broader society, but also the superiority of Christianity as a foundation for society and social development.
The book is replete with both intellectual rigor and pragmatic considerations, and the connection between them is clearly outlined. Though relatively short, the book is dense: There are so many things to think about that a single reading is unlikely to catch them all.
Definitely worth reading, and probably more than once.
(Note that this book is available for free online at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/ben...)
June 9, 2013
One of the more interesting artefacts of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate, this outlines his (and the Roman church's) social vision. The surprise (to some) will be that the church's position is more radical in terms of social justice than many of the secular political parties that pretend to be on "the left" - for example, the British Labour Party; if some of the statements here were in Labour Manifesto, the right wing press would have a field day of outrage. Of course, sections of the work (mostly hymning the orthodox family structure) tend towards the conservative: sex is seen as solely for procreation and abortion and euthanasia are seen as wholly bad. The document is therefore of interest as a portrait of a church which is mixed from a political viewpoint, neither right nor left wing, progressive nor reactionary as the terms of ordinarily understood.
The main point of the encyclical is to reiterate that man cannot grow without a vision of a (Christian) God, which position is of course open to debate. The trouble with polemical work of all colours (and this is primarily a polemical tract) is that premises are not tested by either recourse to evidence or in hypothetical situations. The work is ultimately dry and academic, a product of the cloister rather than the result of any actual or imaginative engagement in the world as lived in by most people. Therefore, I'd say it's a work which sometimes has its heart in the right place, makes more complex the position of the church but is untested as to its applicability to the lives of human beings.
It is telling that the person on whose life and works the church is founded, Jesus, did not utilize polemical nor theoretically structured forms but rather parabolic stories and gnomic utterances.
The main point of the encyclical is to reiterate that man cannot grow without a vision of a (Christian) God, which position is of course open to debate. The trouble with polemical work of all colours (and this is primarily a polemical tract) is that premises are not tested by either recourse to evidence or in hypothetical situations. The work is ultimately dry and academic, a product of the cloister rather than the result of any actual or imaginative engagement in the world as lived in by most people. Therefore, I'd say it's a work which sometimes has its heart in the right place, makes more complex the position of the church but is untested as to its applicability to the lives of human beings.
It is telling that the person on whose life and works the church is founded, Jesus, did not utilize polemical nor theoretically structured forms but rather parabolic stories and gnomic utterances.
August 10, 2009
Worth reading for Catholics, non-Catholic believers and non-believers. A good reminder that: A man's worth is not what he contributes to the economy. Justice is a necessary condition of charity. You cannot be charitable until you are just. The "Market" is a human arrangement not divine. Profit is a means not an end.
The style is very much like Augustine, Aquinas, second generation Marxists and some American conservatives who build their legitimacy on reference to canonical texts, Scripture, Marx, the Founding Fathers. Benedict, of course references the New Testament, also a strong reference to Paul VI and Vatican II.
The Pope again affirms the value (sanctity) of human life, including the unborn, with which I heartily agree, and the value of the "traditional family" which I think may be culturally dependent, that we will hear loud and strong from the catholic right.
His critique of the free market economy from "...there is no doubt that foreign workers, despite any difficulties concerning integration, make a significant contribution to the economic development of the host country through their labor, besides that which they make to their country of origin through the money they send home. Obviously, these labourers cannot be considered as a commodity or a mere workforce." to "It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always a moral - and not simply an economic - act." to his call for a stronger UN and International Labor Organization, that we probably won't hear much about.
The style is very much like Augustine, Aquinas, second generation Marxists and some American conservatives who build their legitimacy on reference to canonical texts, Scripture, Marx, the Founding Fathers. Benedict, of course references the New Testament, also a strong reference to Paul VI and Vatican II.
The Pope again affirms the value (sanctity) of human life, including the unborn, with which I heartily agree, and the value of the "traditional family" which I think may be culturally dependent, that we will hear loud and strong from the catholic right.
His critique of the free market economy from "...there is no doubt that foreign workers, despite any difficulties concerning integration, make a significant contribution to the economic development of the host country through their labor, besides that which they make to their country of origin through the money they send home. Obviously, these labourers cannot be considered as a commodity or a mere workforce." to "It is good for people to realize that purchasing is always a moral - and not simply an economic - act." to his call for a stronger UN and International Labor Organization, that we probably won't hear much about.
June 25, 2015
Muy bueno e interesante. Pero se queda al borde de las cinco estrellas. Lo que menos me gustó fue encontrarle algunos parágrafos en los que me sentí leyendo directamente a Stefano Zamagni… Una lástima, cual si Ratzinger no tuviera cosas para decir.
No termino de entender que le ven de conservador a un papa que propone reforma agraria, humanizar la economía y las finanzas, frenar la sociedad de consumo, rever la responsabilidad cultural de los medios de comunicación, replantear la cuestión ecológica, un gobierno universal políticamente ético.
Sobre este último punto una cosa que me parece que quedó poco desarrollada es la cuestión del “bien común”, que debemos entender exactamente por bien común y porque todos debemos suscribir a “su” bien común.
La otra crítica que esta encíclica derriba, a mi parecer, es la imagen de una Iglesia anquilosada e irreal que solo discute sobre las propiedades de los ángeles. Si esto es así con encíclicas que hablan de la crisis financiera internacional, el aborto, la eugenesia, las nuevas formas empresarias, es culpa nuestra de los agentes pastorales y no de estos teólogos.
No termino de entender que le ven de conservador a un papa que propone reforma agraria, humanizar la economía y las finanzas, frenar la sociedad de consumo, rever la responsabilidad cultural de los medios de comunicación, replantear la cuestión ecológica, un gobierno universal políticamente ético.
Sobre este último punto una cosa que me parece que quedó poco desarrollada es la cuestión del “bien común”, que debemos entender exactamente por bien común y porque todos debemos suscribir a “su” bien común.
La otra crítica que esta encíclica derriba, a mi parecer, es la imagen de una Iglesia anquilosada e irreal que solo discute sobre las propiedades de los ángeles. Si esto es así con encíclicas que hablan de la crisis financiera internacional, el aborto, la eugenesia, las nuevas formas empresarias, es culpa nuestra de los agentes pastorales y no de estos teólogos.
July 10, 2017
While I can appreciate his aim, the Pope is obviously living in a different world from my own.
At times hipocritcal, (all cultures are good, but only the Christian Church will bring you light?) and ill-fitted for modern era (comparing family planing and contraceptives to sins etcaetra.)
Like I said, I get his point. Some of it. More moral education, a subsdiary world government, I'm sorry but none of this is pragmatic enough to come into realization by anything else than a miracle. But I don't agree with many of his values because I just don't believe in a lot of them (I don't think that sexual eduacation right now is turned mainly towards pleasure, but rather that it is necessary in order to avoid a greater evil; I don't believe poverty, EVEN MATERIAL, is caused by lack of being loved, and I don't think the way to light is limited to the Christian God.
This review is comming from a born and raised Catholic girl, but I just can't agree with abstract writing that doesn't minimally focuse on twhat's real, but rather abstract problems with abstract solutions.
At times hipocritcal, (all cultures are good, but only the Christian Church will bring you light?) and ill-fitted for modern era (comparing family planing and contraceptives to sins etcaetra.)
Like I said, I get his point. Some of it. More moral education, a subsdiary world government, I'm sorry but none of this is pragmatic enough to come into realization by anything else than a miracle. But I don't agree with many of his values because I just don't believe in a lot of them (I don't think that sexual eduacation right now is turned mainly towards pleasure, but rather that it is necessary in order to avoid a greater evil; I don't believe poverty, EVEN MATERIAL, is caused by lack of being loved, and I don't think the way to light is limited to the Christian God.
This review is comming from a born and raised Catholic girl, but I just can't agree with abstract writing that doesn't minimally focuse on twhat's real, but rather abstract problems with abstract solutions.
January 12, 2014
I well thought out book on economics and the social teaching of the Catholic Church.
Some great quotes:
"...Rights presuppose duties, if they are not to become mere license." (48)
"Man is not a lost atom in a random universe; he is Gods creature, whom God chose to endow with a mortal soul and whom he has always loved.
Deeds without knowledge are blind, and knowledge without love is sterile."
"It must be remembered that the market doesn't exist on a pure state. It is shaped but the cultural configurations which define it and give direction"
In nature the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative activity, which may use responsibly to satisfy out legitimate needs, material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation. If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an untouchable taboo, or, on the contrary, abusing it.
Some great quotes:
"...Rights presuppose duties, if they are not to become mere license." (48)
"Man is not a lost atom in a random universe; he is Gods creature, whom God chose to endow with a mortal soul and whom he has always loved.
Deeds without knowledge are blind, and knowledge without love is sterile."
"It must be remembered that the market doesn't exist on a pure state. It is shaped but the cultural configurations which define it and give direction"
In nature the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative activity, which may use responsibly to satisfy out legitimate needs, material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation. If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an untouchable taboo, or, on the contrary, abusing it.
March 14, 2015
Perhaps the most important and well written thing I have read in years. This document has an elegance that helped convince me not only of the critical nature of the issue at hand, but also of the wisdom of the Pope and his Vatican editors. (A side effect of reading this document was realizing how pedestrian the editors at Penguin, Harper, and Simon & Schussler are.) Transcending the right/left boxes that everything else is framed with, Benedict presses forth based on biblical values that if taken seriously, will break American readers out of their current trappings. Poverty, labor, environment, justice, and ultimately meaning and purpose in daily life are given their due, not as topics for talk shows, but as the deepest concerns of the human race.
January 16, 2012
I hardly expected this book to take my mind to the heights I experienced. Pope Benedict explains to -- or should I say warns -- us to the causes of the economic depths in which we find ourselves. He shows us the bankruptcy of technological advancements that are not intertwined with God's purpose. But far from a depressing book, Benedict shows us the heights we can yet achieve with an allegiance to God's plan for us.
This book awakens in my mind an understanding of freedom and of brotherhood like that of patriotic youth. An understanding that transcends national borders and the words of mere men; an understanding born of the divinity of the Spirit that resides inside each man from God's breath of conception.
This book awakens in my mind an understanding of freedom and of brotherhood like that of patriotic youth. An understanding that transcends national borders and the words of mere men; an understanding born of the divinity of the Spirit that resides inside each man from God's breath of conception.
July 8, 2009
Quite good. Treats different subject matter -- human development -- from Benedict's prior two encyclicals but still well worth a read.
Benedict continues in the tradition of the Church, underscoring that technocratic solutions will ultimately fail without proper human stewardship, and that capitalism -- as a system -- only has merit insofar as it is conducted by morally good actors.
The Acton Institute has a pretty good review:
http://www.acton.org/commentary/534_c...
Benedict continues in the tradition of the Church, underscoring that technocratic solutions will ultimately fail without proper human stewardship, and that capitalism -- as a system -- only has merit insofar as it is conducted by morally good actors.
The Acton Institute has a pretty good review:
http://www.acton.org/commentary/534_c...
October 13, 2009
This document provides valuable food for thought--for example, globalization provides opportunities, but without the guidance of charity, it can also cause harm. I agree that we need more concern for the common good, and I was pleasantly suprised to read papal comments on the environment. Everyday consumers can benefit from reading this document because our purchases have wide ranging ramifications. Some of the prose can be dense, but reading this document may make you see the economy and business world in a new light.
December 15, 2009
As with all social encyclicals, this work from Pope Benedict is complex. The complexity of the work mirrors the complexity of the subject: the human person. In this encyclical the Pope speaks on the importance of developing human persons (and humanity as a whole) through Charity in Truth. Authentic human development can not take place if either Charity or Truth are absent. A work that will need to be re-read to gain a fully understanding of the subject, but worth reading by all the faithful.
October 11, 2011
This encyclical is incredibly formative for how we treat the poor or oppressed. However, there are a few passages that would seem to be inflammatory without reading populorum progressio such as the statement that we should have a worldwide agency tasked with ensuring people perform their duties to the poor. Not having read rerum novarum, populorum progressio or blessed John Paul II's encyclical regarding populorum progressio I cannot make a judgement call on that. But it does make one think and look at our charitable acts in a surprising way.
March 9, 2015
I feel weird giving a book like this a subjective Goodreads rating, but I was intellectually amazed by it, so...there you go. 5 stars.
CARITAS IN VERITATE is a clear-sighted example of faith and reason working together. In fact, I'd say it is in itself an example of truth spoken in charity...global in scope, touching on everything from technology to the economy to politics and society, yet deeply human and rooted in genuine faith. The writings of Pope Benedict XVI never fail to teach and inspire me deeply.
Like so many other books on my "religion" shelf, it definitely deserves a re-read.
CARITAS IN VERITATE is a clear-sighted example of faith and reason working together. In fact, I'd say it is in itself an example of truth spoken in charity...global in scope, touching on everything from technology to the economy to politics and society, yet deeply human and rooted in genuine faith. The writings of Pope Benedict XVI never fail to teach and inspire me deeply.
Like so many other books on my "religion" shelf, it definitely deserves a re-read.
May 16, 2023
Tough nut to crack, with sometimes very obscure wording and continuous overlaps. The references to the recent financial crisis (2008) and to the phenomenon of globalization are interesting, but otherwise Benedict adds little to the social encyclicals of his predecessors. It is striking that again only ecclesiastical sources are quoted (in contrast to his first encyclicals), and that Benedict takes advantage of this to express his opinion on themes that have little to do with the chosen angle. Nevertheless, there are gems of insights and formulations here and there.
May 22, 2014
For the most part, an excellent assessment of the 21st century and some very sound and theologically minded advice from the Holy Father. However, there were a few moments where I got the strong scent of modernist influence, especially his endorsement of the UN. This does not read like Humani Generis or even Rerum Novarum, but it is still helpful to understand how the Church can influence the modern world.
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